Videogames: Perfect homies for the great indoors.

[Tywin et al.]

YES YES YES!

The glitch in my game seems to have corrected itself. I'm going to sink into this for a few days. 

[Luzifer's right hand]

I started me 10th or so replay of Planescape Torment yesterday. 

[red snow]

Eagerly awaiting the arrival of FF remake. It was posted out on Friday so I'm hoping it'll arrive soon. Be nice to get it for my Birthday tomorrow.

Meantime I'm avoiding starting anything else in depth. I'm on season 3 of Telltale Walking Dead. The game is still entertaining but I do feel like they've taken the easy option in dodging what seemed like quite divergent choices in the second season they've just done "2 years later" and claimed that the continuing central protagonist has lost all connections again irrespective of what you picked. Which is a bit cheap and definitely undermines the claim you get to choose how the story evolves/progresses. It definitely has me curious as to whether Cyberpuk 2077 can do a better job of its claim that you choose your own story. I guess they may achieve this by not having as scripted a story

[Corvinus85]

I've been playing a lot of M&B 2: Bannerlord. The game certainly requires more work, the main quest is still unfinished, and other quests get buggy, a few features are a bit difficult to use, and I get the sense they want to add more features, just haven't gotten around to finishing them. But what it does have is a lot of fun. It's more challenging combat-wise than its predecessor. In Warband, as your character got stronger you approached the level of one-warrior army. Here, not so much, I can barely beat 2 enemies at the same time. Bandits hideouts are extremely hard to take.

[Toth]

So I am an idiot who still didn't get his space games fill: I ended up buying No Man's Sky in a sale for 20 bucks after it got so much praise heaped upon it.

And oh my god was my first trip in the game embarrassing!

You see, I thought this was basically like Minecraft. When you open it, you have the option between Normal, Survival, Permadeath and Creative Modes. The description of Normal mode made it sound like all survival aspects were shut off while the description of Survival mode sold it as the recommended gamestyle, similarly named like the Survival Mode in Minecraft. And that's why I am the idiot who played Survival Mode first.

The following thing happened: I start the game in the middle of nowhere on a Death World. After the intro sequence and the tutorial my Toxic shield is already down to 20% and desperately wants me to recharge it with Natrium. I start looking around, there is no Natrium. I die. I respawn, have to do the tutorial again, but this time I start running right away while clicking through the tutorial on the way. Still no Natrium. I die. Repeat that about 5 times until I find enough to rush towards my ship. I huddle inside to replenish my shield for free, do the missions around it. Then I am supposed to go to some abandoned camp nearby during a toxic storm that depletes my shield at double speed. I try to brace the storm, I can't find enough Natrium on the way and I die. I respawn and decide to keep huddling inside my ship until the storm passes, all the while watching my Oxigen bar go down. I go out once the storm has passed, find the camp as I am close at deaths door and suffocate the second I reach the promised terminal. Luckily the game decides to give me a boon and have the needed piece of technology for my ship repair dropped right next to it when I respawn. So I repair the ship and fly into orbit. Where I get immediately rushed by three pirates who shoot me down and when I respawn I stand right next to my crashed ship exactly where I started.

I rage quit right there.

And then find out that you ARE supposed to play Normal Mode after all. I now started that and it does have the shield and oxigen management, but it's way easier. Basically the only annoyance is my tiny inventory space, but otherwise I am free to explore without being constantly at death's door. And I must admit, I have already a lot more fun than in Elite. Skimming through the number of upgrades and basebuilding options is insane and while much of it is blocked by a grind for technology pieces, at least this kind of grind forces you to explore (and basically find stuff every two meters).

[Argonath Diver]

I need to revisit NMS. I just loved spending as much time as I liked leisurely exploring. I had a pretty wicked base emerging from a cliffside. In theory it looked like a James Bond villains lair. In reality it was a total pain in the ass to get to and suffered some awkward clipping issues on the parts I'd dug into the cliff.

I am absolutely inept at controlling first or third person games using console thumb sticks, so even fighting those little turd sentries was exasperating, and space combat was completely impossible. Just never could adapt to console play, alas. But luckily I can manage zooming around purple alien planets, just as long as I'm not being fired at.

[Ramsay B.]

I finished The Last of Us already, and it lived up to the hype. I can now join the masses in being really disappointed about these delays. About the ending:

Spoiler

I was definitely torn on saving Ellie. I sat there looking at the surgeon with the scalpel for a good 30 seconds wondering if I had to actually kill him. I mean I doubt these guys would’ve really found a cure or vaccine, or anything, but you never know? She was a case that they’ve never seen before.

They could’ve also run some tests in her. They basically went straight into surgery. Desperate times and all that, I guess.

 

[Inkdaub]

2 hours ago, Ramsay B. said:

I finished The Last of Us already, and it lived up to the hype. I can now join the masses in being really disappointed about these delays. About the ending:

  Reveal hidden contents

I was definitely torn on saving Ellie. I sat there looking at the surgeon with the scalpel for a good 30 seconds wondering if I had to actually kill him. I mean I doubt these guys would’ve really found a cure or vaccine, or anything, but you never know? She was a case that they’ve never seen before.

They could’ve also run some tests in her. They basically went straight into surgery. Desperate times and all that, I guess.

 

Spoiler

I wasn't torn at all.  Joel did the right thing.  If they mean Ellie harm...kill them.  If that means the world burns then the world burns.  I never wavered for a second.  I'm not sure if that's unusual or not. 

Best voice acting I've ever seen(heard...).  I want to play again every time someone mentions the game.

[The Winged Shadow]

11 hours ago, Toth said:

So I am an idiot who still didn't get his space games fill: I ended up buying No Man's Sky in a sale for 20 bucks after it got so much praise heaped upon it.

And oh my god was my first trip in the game embarrassing!

You see, I thought this was basically like Minecraft. When you open it, you have the option between Normal, Survival, Permadeath and Creative Modes. The description of Normal mode made it sound like all survival aspects were shut off while the description of Survival mode sold it as the recommended gamestyle, similarly named like the Survival Mode in Minecraft. And that's why I am the idiot who played Survival Mode first.

The following thing happened: I start the game in the middle of nowhere on a Death World. After the intro sequence and the tutorial my Toxic shield is already down to 20% and desperately wants me to recharge it with Natrium. I start looking around, there is no Natrium. I die. I respawn, have to do the tutorial again, but this time I start running right away while clicking through the tutorial on the way. Still no Natrium. I die. Repeat that about 5 times until I find enough to rush towards my ship. I huddle inside to replenish my shield for free, do the missions around it. Then I am supposed to go to some abandoned camp nearby during a toxic storm that depletes my shield at double speed. I try to brace the storm, I can't find enough Natrium on the way and I die. I respawn and decide to keep huddling inside my ship until the storm passes, all the while watching my Oxigen bar go down. I go out once the storm has passed, find the camp as I am close at deaths door and suffocate the second I reach the promised terminal. Luckily the game decides to give me a boon and have the needed piece of technology for my ship repair dropped right next to it when I respawn. So I repair the ship and fly into orbit. Where I get immediately rushed by three pirates who shoot me down and when I respawn I stand right next to my crashed ship exactly where I started.

I rage quit right there.

And then find out that you ARE supposed to play Normal Mode after all. I now started that and it does have the shield and oxigen management, but it's way easier. Basically the only annoyance is my tiny inventory space, but otherwise I am free to explore without being constantly at death's door. And I must admit, I have already a lot more fun than in Elite. Skimming through the number of upgrades and basebuilding options is insane and while much of it is blocked by a grind for technology pieces, at least this kind of grind forces you to explore (and basically find stuff every two meters).

Two very different game, Elite and No Man's Sky. I have both and I did enjoy both but for very different reasons. No Man's Sky is not a space game (to me). Most fun I've had is crafting, building bases and jet packing around (all planet-side activities). After you explore a few dozen planets you can feel the samey-ness of everything. But until that point, it's pretty nice to find weird flora and fauna.

I'll be back in Elite soon, need to farm some credits for the upcoming Fleet Carrier patch! Let me know if you want to wing up (timezones permitting).

 

[Toth]

3 hours ago, The Winged Shadow said:

Two very different game, Elite and No Man's Sky. I have both and I did enjoy both but for very different reasons. No Man's Sky is not a space game (to me). Most fun I've had is crafting, building bases and jet packing around (all planet-side activities). After you explore a few dozen planets you can feel the samey-ness of everything. But until that point, it's pretty nice to find weird flora and fauna.

I got that they are different, but in terms of what you can do Elite is very limited and therefore I appreciate the attempt of No Man's Sky to give you lots and lots and lots of stuff to mess around with. Though I must admit I am slightly startled about the attempt to tell a story. Some elements like learning alien languages one word for each NPC you encounter are really weird and the idea of being a lone wanderer who doesn't know where he is being run counter by how there are inhabited outposts and space stations absolutely everywhere.

Quote

I'll be back in Elite soon, need to farm some credits for the upcoming Fleet Carrier patch! Let me know if you want to wing up (timezones permitting).

You seriously want to farm 5 billion credits for a fleet carrier that disappears the moment you walk away from the game? I must say, I have absolutely zero interest in that update. Also last time I played I was still several thousand lightyears away from the bubble trying reach the next next sector before turning inwards towards the center of the galaxy. Would be a bother to abandon my exploration trip only for some farming.

8 hours ago, Argonath Diver said:

I need to revisit NMS. I just loved spending as much time as I liked leisurely exploring. I had a pretty wicked base emerging from a cliffside. In theory it looked like a James Bond villains lair. In reality it was a total pain in the ass to get to and suffered some awkward clipping issues on the parts I'd dug into the cliff.

I am absolutely inept at controlling first or third person games using console thumb sticks, so even fighting those little turd sentries was exasperating, and space combat was completely impossible. Just never could adapt to console play, alas. But luckily I can manage zooming around purple alien planets, just as long as I'm not being fired at.

I hope your Bond villain lair wasn't built partly into the cliff. I have read that the server occasionally respawns the sand you dig away and buries all constructions you did in artificial caves.

I agree that the space combat and ship maneuvering has felt terrible to me, but so far I chalked part of that the starting ship has a horrible pitch. Then again, the button distribution is very confusing. It boggles my mind that you can change the pitch only with 'a' and 'd' while the mouse moves your ship in straight lines to the mouse arrow. I only know it the other way around and that causes me to make wild rolls when I only wanted to hover around a possible landing spot.

[Argonath Diver]

42 minutes ago, Toth said:

I hope your Bond villain lair wasn't built partly into the cliff. I have read that the server occasionally respawns the sand you dig away and buries all constructions you did in artificial caves.

I agree that the space combat and ship maneuvering has felt terrible to me, but so far I chalked part of that the starting ship has a horrible pitch. Then again, the button distribution is very confusing. It boggles my mind that you can change the pitch only with 'a' and 'd' while the mouse moves your ship in straight lines to the mouse arrow. I only know it the other way around and that causes me to make wild rolls when I only wanted to hover around a possible landing spot.

Ah, you're playing the PC version. I suppose that's what I should be on since I'm a PC gamer. I have owned a PS4 for years and years and hardly ever use it. No Man's Sky easily has my most-played hours, and that's a trifle compared to my PC games. I have a large projection screen for movies and sports, so this game is absolutely gorgeous on it, hence my motivation to grab it for the Playstation. Alas, it'll have to wait, as I've just bought MLB The Show 2019 to hopefully satiate my baseball itch. I'll likely be as terrible at it as I am shooter games - I haven't really played a sports game since like Madden 98.

[Red Tiger]

Alright, I finished FF7's Remake. I give it a 7/10, no, that is not meant as a joke. It is a feast for the eyes, one of the most beautiful games I have ever  played. The bonds forged between your party members feels real. That being said, the simplistic combat really wore on me after a while and making Midgar's areas more elaborate was hit and miss, depending on where you were. My patience was tested at times.

It's well-worth your time, an RPG fan will have a good time playing this. Lots of love was put into this game.

Also, heavy spoilers.

Spoiler

Winds of destiny. Change!

 

[Rhom]

21 hours ago, Argonath Diver said:

I need to revisit NMS. I just loved spending as much time as I liked leisurely exploring. I had a pretty wicked base emerging from a cliffside. In theory it looked like a James Bond villains lair. In reality it was a total pain in the ass to get to and suffered some awkward clipping issues on the parts I'd dug into the cliff.

I am absolutely inept at controlling first or third person games using console thumb sticks, so even fighting those little turd sentries was exasperating, and space combat was completely impossible. Just never could adapt to console play, alas. But luckily I can manage zooming around purple alien planets, just as long as I'm not being fired at.

I played NMS when it launched.  I liked it well enough, but did lose interest.  I should reinstall it sometime to see all this new razzmatazz

4 hours ago, Red Tiger said:

Alright, I finished FF7's Remake. I give it a 7/10, no, that is not meant as a joke. It is a feast for the eyes, one of the most beautiful games I have ever  played. The bonds forged between your party members feels real. That being said, the simplistic combat really wore on me after a while and making Midgar's areas more elaborate was hit and miss, depending on where you were. My patience was tested at times.

It's well-worth your time, an RPG fan will have a good time playing this. Lots of love was put into this game.

Also, heavy spoilers.

  Reveal hidden contents

Winds of destiny. Change!

 

But not until after this!  My shipping alert says it will come on Friday.  Looking forward to it!  (And my statue of Cloud on the steampunk Harley Davidson!!!)

[Red Tiger]

1 hour ago, Rhom said:

I played NMS when it launched.  I liked it well enough, but did lose interest.  I should reinstall it sometime to see all this new razzmatazz

But not until after this!  My shipping alert says it will come on Friday.  Looking forward to it!  (And my statue of Cloud on the steampunk Harley Davidson!!!)

I was supposed to get it this friday too, but Europe got it earlier. Not complaining, I just think it's odd when America is a much greater videogame market.

[Inkdaub]

My FF7 says it will be playable on the 9th.  Too bad for me as I can't play until Sunday or Monday anyway.  I love preorders, though.  I love to turn on my console and see a new game has popped up.

[Tywin et al.]

On 4/6/2020 at 9:30 PM, Ramsay B. said:

I finished The Last of Us already, and it lived up to the hype. I can now join the masses in being really disappointed about these delays. About the ending:

  Reveal hidden contents

I was definitely torn on saving Ellie. I sat there looking at the surgeon with the scalpel for a good 30 seconds wondering if I had to actually kill him. I mean I doubt these guys would’ve really found a cure or vaccine, or anything, but you never know? She was a case that they’ve never seen before.

They could’ve also run some tests in her. They basically went straight into surgery. Desperate times and all that, I guess.

 

How long is the game?

[Werthead]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

How long is the game?

A quick Google search sees people taking between 12 and 25 hours, depending on difficulty level (which adds more battles to the game) and how exhaustively you investigate and search every area. 15-17 seems to be about average.

[Tywin et al.]

7 minutes ago, Werthead said:

A quick Google search sees people taking between 12 and 25 hours, depending on difficulty level (which adds more battles to the game) and how exhaustively you investigate and search every area. 15-17 seems to be about average.

Damn, that be short. I've probably put more into RDR2 since I restarted it a few days ago when my quarantine started. 

[Werthead]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Damn, that be short. I've probably put more into RDR2 since I restarted it a few days ago when my quarantine started. 

For a first-person or third-person, story-heavy action game, that seems very reasonable. Generally in such a game I started checking out if the game goes much over 15 hours and certainly over 20. RDR2 was also probably overlong at ~50 hours before the epilogue started (I enjoyed the relaxed 15-hour-ish epilogue more though).

Looking at comparable games, that seems longer than several of the Uncharted games, is way longer than any Gears of War or Halo game, and is even longer than the first Mass Effect. Also, from discussions earlier, it is about three times as long as the recent Resident Evil remakes.

[kuenjato]

4 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Damn, that be short. I've probably put more into RDR2 since I restarted it a few days ago when my quarantine started. 

Like what Wert said -- also, it's a narrative-driven game, and the narrative would suffer IMO with "more" content. It feels perfectly paced at around 15 hours, with the tension generated across its run-time peaking right where it needs to. I'm playing Odyssey right now, and while I love the environment and most of the systems, the Ubi-grind/bloat is making the story seem thinner than it really is. Just with extra exploring and side-quests, I'm at 55 hours and only 44% done with the main narrative. After completing behemoths like this or Witcher 3, it's nice to engage with a shorter game.